A second Elon School of Communications student has finished in the Top
10 nationally in the 2006-07 William Randolph Hearst Foundation
broadcast competition.
Senior Meghan Packer of Wayne, Pa., finished ninth in the television
news competition. She joins Elon senior Brian Formica of
Plumsteadville, Pa., who earlier finished 10th in the television
features category.
Elon students became eligible for the Hearst Awards competition for
the first time this year when the School of Communications formally
gained national accreditation in May 2006. Only students at the 110
programs recognized by the Accrediting Council for Education in
Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) can compete in the Hearst
program.
“Meghan is an extraordinarily talented broadcast student, and she has
earned this honor through her dedication and hard work,” said Paul
Parsons, dean of the School of Communications at Elon. Packer serves
as a student representative on the Dean’s Student Advisory Board.
For finishing in the Top 10 nationally, Packer will receive $500, with
a matching grant going to the School of Communications. The
professional judges were from Chicago and San Francisco, where the
Hearst Foundation is based.
The Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program also includes
writing and news photography categories, with awards totaling more
than $450,000 a year in scholarships, matching grants and stipends.